• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Woman shockingly dies after contracting rampant STI that spread throughout her organs

Home> News> US News

Published 17:30 4 Jul 2025 GMT+1

Woman shockingly dies after contracting rampant STI that spread throughout her organs

Residents of the state with new or multiple sexual partners are being warned to look out for symptoms

Ella Scott

Ella Scott

Alaskan residents have been warned they may be at risk of developing a ‘rare but severe’ strain of gonorrhea amid a woman’s death at the hands of the sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Officials from the State of Alaska Epidemiology unit have confirmed that an unnamed woman in her 50s died earlier this year from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI).

According to a bulletin released on June 30, the woman presented herself to an Anchorage emergency health department in respiratory distress in the spring.

A woman has died from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) (Getty Stock Image)
A woman has died from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) (Getty Stock Image)

Advert

Respiratory distress occurs when lung swelling causes fluid to build up in tiny elastic air sacs in the lungs, the Mayo Clinic states. Symptoms include rapid breathing and bluish skin coloration.

Upon arrival in the medical room, the woman was soon diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure secondary to endocarditis.

After being subjected to various tests, it was confirmed that the anonymous person was suffering from Neisseria gonorrhoea bacterium and had positive mucosal tests at multiple sites.

The bulletin states that in the six months before making her way to the medical room, she had two healthcare visits related to opioid use disorder. There was no record of GC testing in the year prior to her illness, the legislation reported.

Advert

DGI can be avoided if your STI is treated shortly after displaying symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
DGI can be avoided if your STI is treated shortly after displaying symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

As the Alaskan’s STI was left untreated for an unknown period of time, it had invaded her bloodstream from various infected mucosal sites.

This caused the STI to spread to distant sites in the body, causing her to suffer from DGI.

The California Department of Public Health defines DGI as an ‘uncommon, but severe, complication of untreated gonorrhea’.

Advert

DGI can lead to a multitude of clinical manifestations, including bacteremia, meningitis and, in rare cases, endocarditis.

DGI is ‘uncommon’ and is thought to occur in just 0.5 percent of all gonorrhoea cases. However, following the woman’s death, Anchorage residents are being warned that their health could be at risk.

The bulletin has urged people living in the city who have recently embarked on a relationship with a new sexual partner, have more than one sexual partner, or a partner with multiple partners themselves, to remain vigilant, as all may be at risk of acquiring the fatal strain of gonorrhoea.

“While no specific network has been identified, the strain may be circulating more broadly among persons with gonorrhea infection in Southcentral Alaska,” the bulletin added.

Advert

There have been eight cases of DGI reported between January and May 2025 in Alaska, five of which were women.

It’s said all patients were evaluated in Anchorage, and that only three of the eight had a history of a previously diagnosed sexually transmitted infection.

Over 700,000 people contract neisseria gonorrhoeae each year in the US (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Over 700,000 people contract neisseria gonorrhoeae each year in the US (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Despite the number of DGI sufferers in the area, the bulletin states that an epidemiological investigation ‘did not establish connections between any of the DGI cases’.

Advert

However, some risk factors identified through a medical records review included methamphetamine, opioid and alcohol use disorder.

“What we're seeing is that there's not just one group of people who's at risk,” sais Dr. Liz Ohlsen, a staff physician with the state Division of Public Health.

“Instead, it's more sexually active people who have multiple partners, or whose partner has multiple partners.”

What are the symptoms of DGI?

A myriad of symptoms commonly occur with DGI, including fever or chills, swelling of the joints, and pain in the tendons of the wrists or heels, Healthline reports.

Advert

Other symptoms include skin rashes and feeling ill or generally unwell.

If you start to develop any of these symptoms, it’s advised that you seek medical attention immediately.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships, US News, Alaska

Ella Scott
Ella Scott

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Experts' urgent 'sextortion' warning as 14-year-old boy dies 35 minutes after 'flirting with girl' online
  • YouTuber and animal activist dies by suicide aged 29 as husband releases heartbreaking video
  • Chilling footage shows woman walking with boyfriend moments before he allegedly killed her
  • Woman dies after being found stuck to cockroach-infested mattress and surgically removed

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    FDA issues urgent blueberry recall over fears they ‘could cause death’ following tests

    If you've got any blueberries in your fridge, pantry, or freezer, double-check the lot number as they could have serious health risks

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Health expert reveals six huge changes to your body when you give up sex for a year

    From your immune system to stress levels, here's everything that's impacted

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    FBI releases new files on infamous plane hijacker DB Cooper revealing shocking insights into unsolved case

    Back in 1971, a man who used the fake name Dan Cooper, threatened to blow up the aircraft he was traveling on

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Body of doctor discovered after she mysteriously vanished during cruise ship vacation following text to family

    The 62-year-old was taking a solo trip onboard a Norwegian Bliss ship but disembarked for a hike

    News